


Highschool Dream Boy

by tectonicSpace



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Flirting, Fluff, Football Player Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), House Party, Karl Jacobs-centric, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pink-Haired Karl Jacobs, Plot, Slow Burn, Teen Crush, Texting, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29725773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tectonicSpace/pseuds/tectonicSpace
Summary: Karl goes to a house party and falls for the host.
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 21
Kudos: 194





	1. Chapter 1

This was probably one of the biggest parties of the entire year. 

Every year the quarterback of the football team, Nick, throws this big spring blowout for his friends and most of the school. He usually only invites people he knows, or people he thinks are cool.

So when Karl was one of the only people who didn't get invited, it wasn’t much of a surprise. These types of things aren’t really his style anyway. He’s very much a ‘stay home and watch cartoons with close friends’ kind of guy. The only problem with this idea? The friend he’d wanted to hang out with got invited to the party.

“Alex I already told you that I wasn't invited!” Karl argued, “I wouldn't be able to even get in.” 

“You would if you were with me,” Karl's best friend Alex said, “I'm friends with the host, he won't care if I bring a plus-one I promise." Karl scoffed. "No way. I can't. Why don't you just stay home with me and watch adventure time?" “Pleeeeeeaaaaase, Karl. Just come with me!” Alex pleaded.

“Even if I do end up going, you're just going to ditch me the moment we get there, I don't know anyone else, I'll just be that weirdo who stands in the corner of the room hiding from everyone else.”

"No I promise you, I will not leave your side the whole time we're there." "Why don't I believe you?" Karl said sarcastically. "Karl if you come, I'll binge watch whatever you want with you tomorrow.” Alex proposed.

Karl raised an eyebrow. "You will?" Alex nodded. “Yes, yes I promise I will." Karl thought for a moment. ”Hmmm... Anything?" "Yes Karl anything! Dude, the party is going to start soon!" “....Fine.” Karl finally said, shaking Alex's hand.

“Fuck yeah! Let's get ready.” Alex ran over to Karl's closet to pick him an outfit.

* * *

The party made the house seem a lot bigger than it actually was. At the door, there was a tall, lean guy who Karl thought he recognized from the swim team. He was checking people’s names off of a list to make sure they weren’t trying to sneak any uninvited people in. Karl and Alex waited in line, Karl got worried that he would get caught and he wouldn't be allowed in. Alex was his ride home so if he wasn't allowed inside, he would have to wait out in the cold.

Luckily, the guy in front of them went up to the bouncer and started chatting with him. Alex took this opportunity and pushed Karl inside while the guy was distracted. When Karl walked in he felt immediately out of place. He didn't know anyone, which he suspected was already going to be the case, but it just made him feel more intimidated.

Karl was also dressed insanely different than everyone. He was wearing a few rings that would have made most girls jealous, his nails were painted a mix of different colors, and he had a very intricately patterned sweater on. Plus he had bright pink hair, so he stood out quite a bit. 

Alex saw his friend Darryl, he went to walk away but Karl grabbed his hand. "You said you wouldn't leave." Alex patted Karl on the shoulder. “Don't be so nervous, I'll be right back. Go get us drinks, I'll meet you in the living room.”

Alex walked out of the room. Karl started wandering around to try and find the kitchen. _God, this place is like a maze. I'm absolutely going to get lost._ Karl thought. He kept looking around until finally he made his way to the kitchen. He went over to the counter and grabbed two cups. 

Karl almost had a heart attack when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He turned around at lightning speed and- _oh my GOD._ The guy was around the same height as Karl, but he had dark black hair, and a headband on. Karl knew who this guy was right away. It was the host.

"Hey there, do I know you?" It was over, he blew it. Karl knew he wasn't supposed to be here and now he was going to get kicked out or beat up, maybe worse. His heart started racing while he looked around for any way to run out before he got in too much trouble. 

"Jesus, stop acting like a scared squirrel. I don't bite." The quarterback smiled and winked at Karl. "I-I'm sorry, I can leave now if you want, my friend made me come here and I told him it was a bad idea but he didn't believe me and--" Karl was cut off by Nick putting his hand over Karl's mouth.

"Dude. Chill. I honestly do not care. I didn't come over here to interrogate you, I wanted to say that I like your hair." Karl's heart rate slowed back down to a normal pace, and he moved Nick's hand. 

"Oh- oh okay well.. thank you. I like your face." _Oh my god did I just say that out loud??_ Karl's eyes widened and his face blushed bright red. "Wait- no I- I didn't mean that."

Nick laughed. "Oh my god you're adorable." Karl felt butterflies in his stomach, he wanted to just smile and walk away, he would go find Alex and they would hang out for the rest of the party. But then there was a small part of him that wanted to keep this conversation going. That part of him won. "Do you- want to talk outside where it's quieter?" 

"Sure, come with me." Nick held Karl's hand and led him out to the backyard. They sat down on the porch swing together. "So what's your name? I'm Nick." 

"Yeah I know who you are, you're the quarterback for our school, you're kind of a big deal." Nick waved his hand and shook his head. "Meh, that's not so important, and you still didn't tell me your name."

"Oh yeah right. It's Karl." Nick smiled at him again, Karl just met this guy and he already knew that his smile could make anyone swoon. "So why did you come up to me? Was it just my hair?"

"No actually, you just sorta- stuck out. I noticed you in the crowd and I was curious. I like your style, you're very unique."

* * *

The two of them talked for about two hours. They got completely carried away. They finally snapped out of their trance when Alex came outside. "Karl! There you are! Dude I was literally looking all around the house for you-- oh. Oh hold on wait, Karl did you make a friend?" 

"Oh yeah, I did! This is Nick." Alex waved at him, Nick waved back. "Karl is a great guy, he can really keep a conversation going." 

"Yeah he's great at talking a lot. Did he make you sit through a rant about cartoons?" Nick chuckled. "Yeah he did, but it was actually nice." Karl blushed again. "Guys please stop complimenting me, I might cry." 

"Alright alright, well Karl say bye, we should get going or I might not leave." Karl leaned over and hugged Nick. "Woah, hi there." Nick hugged him back. "Thanks for hanging out with me Nick. It's been really fun." 

"Of course, and- here." Nick took a pen from his pocket and wrote his number on Karl's hand.

"Feel free to text me whenever."

Karl nodded and smiled. "Okayyy come on Karl." Alex hooked his arm with Karl's and the two of them went back to Karl's house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! I still don't know how many there will but in total, but I hope it's okay so far.
> 
> Also, sorry if the grammar is a tad bit bad in this chapter, I was in a rush to write it before I forgot the idea.
> 
> :]

It was the day after the party.

Alex had stayed over at Karl's house that night because Karl didn't feel like driving both places. Karl woke up before Alex and grabbed his phone off of his coffee table. He probably sat on his bed for a good twenty minutes with Nick's number typed into his phone, just trying to think of what he would say to him. _Good morning? How's it going? No, that's stupid._ Karl was overthinking it, he thought it had to be perfect.

He was so zoned out that he didn't even notice Alex come over and peek at his phone. "Oooh, is that your little crush? What are you going to say to him?" Karl squeaked and turned his phone off. "What? Text who?" 

The younger laughed and sat next to Karl. "Oh come on, I saw the way you were looking at him." Karl brushed it off and shook his head. "Nick? No way, we're just friends. I had to be friendly with someone after you ditched me." Alex gasped and pretended to be offended. "Okay first, I didn't ditch you, I just went to see my friend. I have other friends you know, you don't have to get jealous. But also, I'm guessing you wanted to be more than just friendly with him~." He hummed. 

"Ew, don't be gross!" Karl's face blushed a light pink. "Okay okay sorry, but seriously, what are you going to say?" Karl sighed and put his phone down. "I'm not going to say anything. I feel like anything I say will just come out weird." Alex leaned over and grabbed Karl's phone. "Then I'll do it for you." 

"Woah! No! You're going be even weirder!" Karl tried to grab his phone but Alex held him back. "No I won't, just chill, I've got this, I won't be weird." Alex typed something then marveled at his work. "K how does this sound? 'Ayo, we should get coffee together, it could be just as bros, or not'" Karl went back to trying to grab his phone. "No! That sounds like a date!" 

"Good, that's exactly what I was going for." Alex laughed. "Don't you dare send that, Alex!" He pressed a button on the phone then dropped it back on the bed. "Oops. Missclick." Karl grabbed his phone and right as he was about to delete the message, the message was read. Nick saw it. Karl readied himself for there to be no response. That Nick would leave him there and not answer the text. 

Then Karl saw three dots. He was typing back! 

'Sure, I'm free whenever, sounds fun' The text said. Alex grabbed the phone again and wrote, 'Good! It's a date.' "Hey! Ohhh no no no I didn't ready myself for this, Alex what did you do? I'm not that smooth! I wouldn't just ask him out!" Alex shrugged. "How does he know that? He's known you for a day, for all he knows, you could be the smoothest lady killer in the school. You're cute enough for it." Karl couldn't stay mad at his best friend, he knew how to cheer him up. "Shut up you nimrod." 

Alex pulled Karl from the bed. "Come on, I'll pick you an outfit, we'll make you all nice and pretty for your boyfriend." Karl hit his friend's shoulder. "He's not my boyfriend." Alex gave a simple "Yet." then disappeared into Karl's closet.

* * *

Karl came into the coffee shop the two decided upon. His outfit was simple this time, he still had his rings, but other than that he was just wearing a collared sweater and a pair of jeans. He looked around for Nick. A very small part of him thought that this was going to be a prank, and Nick was going to show up with the rest of the football team to make fun of Karl for blatantly just asking him out on a date.

But that wasn't the case. Karl's eyes met with his date. He was wearing a hoodie with a panda on it, he looked adorable. The two smiled at each other and Karl walked over and sat down across from him. Nick was the first to say something. "You look nice today." He said, a smile forming on his face. 

"Oh- thank you, I like your hoodie." Nick chuckled. "Oh yeah? You can borrow it sometime if you want." Wearing his crushes hoodie? Yeah that totally sounds like a good idea. "No that's fine, you look better in it than I would." Karl knew he was bad at flirting, but this felt so awkward. Apparently it wasn't weird for Nick though. He just went along being smooth as hell. He reached across the table and held one of Karl's hands. "Do you do your own nails?" Karl nodded. "Yeah, I let my friend Alex pick the colors usually." 

"Well they look like they were done better than most of the cheerleaders. All they care about are their nails and yet, yours are prettier." _Is he flirting back? Does he like me?_ "Nick you're making me blush, stop it." Nick laughed. His laugh was so cute.

The waitress walked over to them, they ordered their coffee then went back to chatting. "So your friend, Alex. Is that the guy that went home with you last night?" "Yeah, we've been friends for years, he's awesome. I think you two would get along well." "Introducing me to your friends already Karl? It's still pretty early in our relationship for that don't you think?" Karl blushed again. "Well- I just- um-" Nick started laughing once more. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

The two of them got lost in conversation, just as they did last night. Off and on flirting, Karl couldn't tell if it was fake or not, but he liked it either way. After they finished their coffee, the waitress came back with the bill. Karl reached in his pocket for his wallet but Nick batted his hand away. "No way, I'm paying. It's just coffee, I don't mind." 

"No no no, please, let me-" Nick cut Karl off. "No. You treated me to a great afternoon, it's the least I can do." He payed, then walked Karl back to his car. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?" Karl nodded and smiled. "Of course."

* * *

Karl stepped into his house and shut the door behind him. Alex heard the door and he came racing down the steps. "How'd it go??" Karl gave a soft smile. "It was...... amazing! He payed for everything, we sat and talked for a while, I think he might have been flirting with me. AND, he said that he was excited to see me at school tomorrow!" 

Alex put his arm around Karl. "See? I told you! My advice is solid, Jacobs. You're lucky to have me around. Now come on, let's go watch some survivor as a celebration." Him and Alex ran up to his room and binged an entire season of Survivor. After hours of their show, Alex finally passed out. Karl was getting tired too, right before bed he took his phone and opened his texts. He sent Nick a heart along with a goodnight message. Right as Karl was falling asleep, he saw that Nick messaged him back.

He sent a heart too. Karl was absolutely in love.


	3. Chapter 3

Karl woke up the next day, happy as can be.

He was excited to see Nick at school. He woke up around 6 am and rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes. After checking his phone, he hopped out of bed and got in the shower. Once that was done, he threw on a simple outfit and walked to school. 

He saw Nick outside of the school, tossing a football back and forth with some guy. Karl decided to go say hi. Nick saw Karl and waved. "Hey Karl!" Karl felt the butterflies in his stomach get worse with every step he took. "Hi!" Nick walked over to him and pulled him into a bear hug. _He's so strong.._

The friend that Nick was tossing the ball with came over. He was taller than Karl, he had wavy blonde hair and freckles. Karl acknowledged that he was a good-looking guy, but he already had his heart set on someone. Nick stepped back from Karl and smiled. "Clay, this is Karl. Karl, this is my friend Clay." They shook hands. "Nice to meet you Karl. I like your hair." Karl smiled. "Thanks!" 

"So wait Nick, is this the Karl you've been talking about?" Nick blushed a bit. "I mean- I've mentioned him, but it's not like I talk about him a lot." Clay scoffed. "Dude. You talk about him nonstop--" Nick elbowed Clay. "Ohhhhhh, okay yeah, no he's mentioned you once or twice, Karl." 

Karl didn't really know what they meant, so he just smiled. "Welp, I should be getting to class. Bye bye!" Karl gave Nick one more hug, then went to class.

* * *

The bell rang and Karl ran outside to see his crush. He went around the back of the school to the football field. He didn't see Nick anywhere so he went over to the locker rooms and stopped at the door. _Please be dressed, please, please, please have clothes on._ Karl took a deep breath and went in. He almost had a heart attack when he walked in and heard a loud _BAM_ from the lockers.

Nick was slammed against the lockers by someone. The guy who pushed him had dark drown hair and had a New York Yankees cap on. “You motherfucker!” The taller guy yelled and grabbed Nick by the collar of his sweater.

Nick pulled the other’s hands off him, which seemed to piss the guy off even more. The other guy threw a punch that landed on the Nick's cheek with a loud THWAP. Another punch to the nose, then Nick launched himself, pushing the other guy backwards. 

The guy stumbled back and grabbed Nick, so they both tumbled to the ground. The tall guy ended up on top of Nick and was landing punches on him one by one. Nick tried to defend with his arms, the other guy noticed that so he grabbed one of his arms and stomped on his with his heavy looking boot. Nick yelped in pain, but still managed to get a good kick to the other guy's crotch. He let go of Nick and backed up, giving him time to crawl away.

Karl helped him up and ran back into the school with him. He led them to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. "A-are you okay?! Who was that guy??" Nick shrugged. "Schlatt. He uh- he thinks I snitched on him for smoking behind the school. I didn't, someone else probably caught him, but he hates me and didn't believe me." 

Nick walked over to one of the sinks and looked in the mirror. His nose was bleeding and a bruise was already forming on his cheek. He gave himself a second glance in the mirror and cursed, then he spit out what looked like a mixture of blood and saliva into the sink. 

"Well let me help you." Karl offered. Nick turned and looked at him. “Why?” Karl put his hands on Nick's shoulders. “I don't know. We're friends aren't we?” Karl was obviously too nervous to admit it, but he thought Nick was insanely attractive, even when he was all bloody and bruised up.

"You need my help anyway, look." Karl touched Nick's cheek. He took a sharp inhale when Karl touched him. “Ow shit.. okay, fine. Help me out.”

“Right, mk.” Karl smiled, “I’ll be right back. Stay here.” Karl left the bathroom and dashed through the hallways and into the nurse's office. He took a few things then made a beeline back. When he got to the bathroom, he knocked on the door, then slipped inside.

“Wow, not going to lie, I kind of expected you to just leave me here, honestly.” Nick admitted. He was sitting on the counter beside the sinks. Karl walked over to him and sat the supplies down. “Why would I do that?” 

“I don’t know.. it's not like you owe me or anything." Karl scoffed. “Look at yourself Nick. You look awful right now. I’m absolutely not going leave you by yourself. Look at this.“ Karl grabbed Nick's hand and pulled it to hold his arm out straight. His fingers were shaking, and his arm was trembling. 

"I’m fine Karl. I've had worse.” Karl rolled his eyes. “Shut up and let me help you." He grabbed a few tissues and got them wet. He started dabbing it across Nick's face to get the blood off of him.

"So why does this Schlatt guy hate you?" Karl asked, just trying to make conversation. Nick sighed. "A while ago he thought I was flirting with his girlfriend." 

"Well- were you?" 

“No! I don’t even like girls.” Nick blurted out. “Sorry, I shouldn't have said that.” Karl got excited. _Do I actually have a chance with him?_ He stayed calm on the outside though, and he acted like it didn't mean much to him. “It’s okay... Me either.”

Karl immediately regretted saying that. They stayed silent for a minute or two, Karl just kept cleaning off the blood, too nervous to say anything. Eventually he moved in front of Nick, spreading his legs slightly to be able to lean in closer to his face. Nick chuckled to himself.

“Y'know Karl, usually you would ask me out to dinner before you get between my legs like that." Karl blushed, he could feel his face start to get warmer. “I’m just trying to clean your face, stop that.” Karl defended himself. Nick smiled and watched Karl wipe the blood from his upper lip. He finished and backed away from Nick.

"Okay now take off your shirt." Nick laughed again. "Okay seriously Karl, this is a bit much." Karl didn't think he could get more red. He was wrong. "Just- please work with me here?" He nodded and took off his shirt. Karl did his absolute best to focus on Nick's heavily bruised arm, and not his chest. He gulped and grabbed the bandages. 

After bandaging up Nick's arm, Karl secured it and smiled. "There. Looks better already." Nick rolled his shoulders. "Doesn't feel better though." "Sorry, I don't know how to help any more than that." Karl said, a slight sad tone in his voice. Nick ran his fingers through Karl's hair. "Karl, did you know that your face looks the same shade of pink as your hair right now?" He teased. 

"Y-yeah um- I-I should probably go." Karl backed up but Nick grabbed his hand. "Wait. Don't leave yet. I didn't even thank you for helping me." Karl turned back around. "No it's fine, no thanks necessary." He leaned in closer to Karl. At this point their lips were inches away from each other. Karl was resting his head on Nick's hand, completely giving in.

Right before Nick was able to seal the space between them, Alex came in. Karl yelped and jumped back. "Oh my god! Holy shit I didn't- um- just- pretend I'm not here." Karl shook his head and took a second to breathe. "No it's okay, I was just leaving anyway. Um- Nick I hope you feel better. I'll see you tomorrow?" 

Nick sighed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'll see you then." The three of them leave, and Alex and Karl walk home together. "Karl, dude I am so sorry. I didn't know you guys were in there." Karl smiled. "No honestly, it's okay. Don't feel bad. Let's just go back to my house, I saw that there's a marathon on cartoon network tonight, I wanna catch it." 

Karl went home that night, thinking about how close he was to kissing him. _Someday.. someday I'll kiss him. I'll work up the courage, I know I can._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really like this chapter, let me know what you think of it! I've gotten very nice comments on the story so far which give me a lot of inspiration to keep writing it, so feel free to tell me your opinion of it so far, thanks!
> 
> :]


	4. Chapter 4

About a week has passed since Nick and Karl's almost kiss.

Nothing else super interesting happened that week, until this morning.

Karl woke up feeling a little...off.

As soon as he opened his eyes and rolled over, he felt nauseous. Not bad enough to the point of vomiting, but he didn’t feel good. He woke up in the first place because he heard his phone ringing. He reached over and grabbed his phone. Nick was calling him. Karl answered and tried to hide the soreness in his throat. 

"Hey Karl, tonight my friend Clay is taking his friend George out to dinner for his first date with him. He's super nervous about it and said that he wanted me to invite one of my friends and pretend it was a double date. I was thinking, do you wanna come? It would mean a lot."

Karl felt sticky and gross, his entire body was covered in sweat and the world seemed to spin around him when he tried to sit up. He was in no shape to go out to dinner, but he couldn't let Nick down. "Um... sure, yeah I don't have anything to do today. What time?" Karl was regretting his decision already. "It's at 6. Thank you man, you're awesome." 

"Yep.. no problem, I'll see you then." Karl hung up the phone and flopped back down on his bed. He hoped that sleeping a bit more would make him feel better. 

He woke a few hours later and checked the time on his phone. It was 5. _I slept all day??_ "Oh god..." 

Part of him wanted to call Nick and tell him that he wasn’t feeling up for dinner. That he wanted to reschedule. That really, today he wanted to be taken care off, not go out to dinner. But he knew that he couldn't do that. He made a promise to a friend, he would feel awful if he broke it.

Karl forced himself out of bed then stripped out of his sweat covered clothes and got dressed. Everything just felt so stiff and uncomfortable on him. It only made him feel worse that his outfit was all long sleeved, now he was feeling more feverish and nauseous than he had been before. He just hoped that he could hold out until he got home.

Karl heard a honk outside so he went out and saw Nick's car in the driveway. He hopped into the passengers seat and Nick smiled at him. "Thanks again for doing this. You look nice." Karl gave his best smile then rested his head against the window. "Of course, that's what friends are for."

The drive there made things ten times worse.

What Nick didn't mention was that the route had a lot of sharp turns and way too many bumps. Both of which would be fine, but not with how Karl was feeling. Now he actually did feel like he was on the verge of vomiting. Nick hadn't noticed it though, he had his eyes focused on the road.

Finally they arrived, Karl got out of the car with shaky steps. Each step made him feel dizzier, the world felt like it was spinning and he couldn't keep up. Nick saw that Karl was falling behind, so he hooked his arm with Karl's and kept walking through the parking lot. Usually Karl would get nervous and probably start blushing, but all he could feel was the nausea rising, and the world around him spinning more and more.

Karl sighed with relief when he saw that they were seated at a private section of the restaurant. He was quick to take his jacket off and sling it over the chair. He could barely even read the menu, he was too dizzy and his vision felt blurry.

He considered saying that he wanted to go home and rest, but stopped and pushed that thought away. Clay and his date showed up a few minutes later, they sat across from Nick and Karl. Clay seemed nervous, which, just from context clues, Karl guessed that didn't happen much. "Looking good Clay. You too George." Nick smiled at them and hugged Clay, then sat back down beside Karl.

Karl fought the urge to lay his head against Nick's shoulder and just fall asleep there. "Nick um.. can you order for me? I don’t know what to get.” Karl asked, voice soft and quiet. He didn’t want to make too much of a fuss and ruin Clay's date. Clay looked at him for a moment, a bit suspicious on why Karl was acting so strange. He let it go though, his focus was on George.

Nick didn't see anything wrong, so he just nodded. "Sure, no problem." The waiter came by, orders were taken and drinks were brought out.

That was when Nick started to notice how odd Karl was acting.

FIrst of all, everyone at the table was laughing and having fun talking to each other, except for Karl. This was odd, especially since Karl was usually the talkative one. He did sometimes have a tendency to stay quiet, but that was rare, and usually when it was just the two of them, it never happens in a group. He dismissed it as Karl maybe being tired, or not knowing what to talk about, but he shot a concerned glance over at Clay, then Karl.

The second red flag came up when the food came. This time both Nick and Clay noticed it. Karl had eaten a few bites of bread, just to try and calm his stomach. It ended up only making things worse. Karl was eating considerably slower than everyone else, with barely any food on the bites. Finally, Clay and Nick brought it up, mainly out of concern.

“Are you alright Karl? You’re barely eating.” Karl took a sip of his water and nodded. “I’m fine guys, just eating slow and trying to savor it.” As Karl went back to eating, another even more concerned glance was exchanged between the two. His voice sounded strange, a bit sore sounding.

“Karl seriously, are you sure you’re alright, your voice sounds weird right now.” Karl brushed it off. “I’m fine, honestly. I think I just forgot to drink enough water." Nick decided to drop it at that. 

As dinner went on, Karl only felt worse. The food only made his stomach feel even worse, his nausea and dizziness combined with his fever and made him feel like he was going to faint. But he wanted to stay strong for Nick.

Nick became worried again when the main courses arrived. Karl had only brought his first bite up to his mouth, it hadn't even reached his tongue before he dropped the fork, threw a hand over his mouth, and rushed to the bathroom. Nick got out of his chair and followed him. Then he started to hear the sad sounds of someone vomiting.

He approached the stall, Karl was bent over and puking out what he was able to eat of his dinner. Nick knelt down beside him to comfort him, rubbing his back lightly and making sure he didn't fall over.

“Karl, if you were sick you could have told me! Have you been feeling like this the whole time? Why didn't you say anything??”

“Didn’t... didn’t wanna let you down...”

Nick felt the guilt swell up in his chest, he didn’t think that Karl would do this just to make him happy.

“Karl... what are you talking about? Care about yourself before caring about me, you absolutely didn't have to do this. Please don’t do that again, okay?" Karl wiped his mouth off and took a few deep breaths. “A-alright... back to dinner...”

“Not a chance, I'm taking you home and you’re going to be tucked into bed after a warm bath.” Nick helped Karl up and winced when he felt how warm he was.

Nick wrapped an arm around Karl and took him back out to the table. By now, Karl was too tired to even argue or try and walk by himself. Nick told Clay what happened with Karl. Luckily, Clay had felt a lot less nervous talking to George, so he was fine with them leaving. 

Nick helped Karl outside. He put him in the car and put his seatbelt on for him. With that, Karl was out like a light.

The drive back home was silent. Once they got back to Karl's house, Nick got him out and carried him inside.

_I should’ve seen that he was sick... Fuck, I'm such a bad friend._

When they got inside and Nick shut the door, Karl started to wake up.

“W-where...?”

“We’re at your house. Just take it easy, I’ll take care of everything.”

Nick put Karl down on his bed and left to start the bath. When he came back, he started helping Karl get undressed. First he took off Karl's shoes and socks, next came the shirt. He didn’t want to strip Karl fully, but he made sure to unbutton a few more buttons. That was as far as he could go without it getting weird.

Nick helped Karl into the bathroom and stood outside the room while he finished getting undressed. After Karl called out to him, Nick came back in, covering his eyes.

“Nick It's fine.. I'm in already.”

Nick knelt down beside the tub and cleaned him off. He made sure to work fast so Karl could get back to sleep. Within 20 minutes, he was bathed, dried, dressed, and placed back into bed.

Nick went to go grab some medicine for Karl. He came back and sat beside him on the edge of the bed. After helping Karl take his medicine, he sat there running his fingers through Karl's hair. Karl held Nick's free hand and cuddled up next to him.

“Nick...”

“Yeah Karl? Do you need something? Water? More blanket? Less blanket?” Nick tried to stand up, only for Karl to tighten his grip on Nick's hand. They stayed like that for a minute, then Nick saw Karl look up at him with tears in his eyes.

“I'm sorry for ruining the dinner...”

Nick froze, not expecting that.

“Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong. It's not like you chose to get sick.”

Well yeah but... you were so excited about tonight and I feel like I just screwed it all up..." Nick could feel Karl's shaky breaths, like he was on the verge of crying. "Karl... I'm not mad, I just want you to be okay, I feel so bad for making you stay out there for that long." 

"Y-you promise you aren't mad at me?" Nick smiled and sighed. "I promise." 

Nick stayed there for a while, rubbing Karl's back. He sighed with relief went Karl finally fell asleep. He pulled the blanket over Karl's shoulders and ruffled his hair. 

Nick’s face shifted into a smile. He wanted to stay, he really did. He wanted to cuddle with Karl all night, making sure he was okay, get him whatever he needed. He knew he couldn't do that though. Him and Karl were just friends, so he just kissed Karl's forehead, and snuck out quietly.

Karl smiled in his sleep and slept well for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was so long! I really like this one though, I hope you guys like it!
> 
> :]


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has less Karl, and more Nick, I hope you like it!
> 
> Also sorry, this one is short, I didn't know how to make it longer, but I still like it.
> 
> :]

Nick got home after getting Karl to fall asleep. He still felt bad for keeping Karl out at the restaurant, but after helping him get home, get cleaned off, and helping him to bed, he felt a bit less guilty.

He went into his room and flopped down on his bed. He tried to fall asleep, but his mind started to wander. _I was so close with him.. I was laying in his bed, with him right beside me._ Nick ended up dozing off while thinking about Karl. He was still insistent on keeping their relationship as just friends, he didn't think that Karl liked him back and he didn't want to try anything and end up ruining what he had.

Although, that didn't mean that he couldn't have feelings for Karl in private. Nick woke up a few hours later after having a... not so child-friendly dream. He sat up quick and ran his hand through his hair. He was warm and sweaty. "Oh god. Oh fuck. This- uh oh." Nick grabbed his phone and called Clay. It took a few rings, but then his friend answered. "What is it dude? It's like.. 2 in the morning." 

"Can- uh- can you come over? I need someone to talk to. Please?" Nick could hear Clay groan through the speaker. "I mean... yeah. Yeah okay I'll be there. Gimme like 20 minutes."

* * *

After about a half an hour of pacing around his room, Nick heard a knock at the door. He let Clay in and went into his room with him. "So why do you need me?" Nick sat on his bed and sighed. "I like my friend. Karl." 

"Nick. Really? You think I didn't already know that?"

"No that's not what I mean. I like him a LOT. I want to be with him really _really_ bad. What do I do?" Clay sat down beside his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's simple. Do I what did with George. Just tell him that you like him." 

"I can't. He doesn't like me back. He just wants to be friends." Clay held back a laugh. "No way. Nick when we went out to dinner you guys were closer than George and I were. Plus, the way he looks at you, the way he acts whenever he's around you, he totally likes you. There is absolutely no chance that he just wants to be friends."

"No you're probably just seeing it wrong. If he liked me, he would have said something by now." 

"Oh yeah? Just like you could have?"

"...Fair point. But- no I know he doesn't like me like that. He's too perfect. Plus, I wouldn't even know what to say to him if I was going to tell him." Clay shifted himself on the bed to look at Nick more. "It's simple. Tell me what you like about him, then use that."

"Well how long do you have? There's so much to say I mean- his fashion is amazing. His humor is adorable, the way he laughs at almost anything, god I love it. His eyes are gorgeous, and his hair is so soft and pink, it's like cotton candy. His taste in shows and movies is great, I would spend all day watching cartoon network if it meant that I could spend a whole day with him. I haven't even really known him that long but I know I love him Clay. He's just... the best." 

"Well there you go. There's your confession." 

"Well yeah but it's not that simple. I would have to figure out if he even likes me, I need to be sure before I say anything." 

"Okay here let me ask you something, Nick. Do you think that I was sure that George liked me? That I had any idea he would agree to a date? Not a chance. I thought he was going to reject me. But he didn't. I've met Karl, and even without knowing the guy that much, I can tell you one thing. He won't tell you how he feels, he doesn't have the confidence for that. You have to be the one to man up and tell him. I'm sure that he likes you, there is no doubt in my mind."

"So I just... ask him out on a date?" 

"Or, just tell him how you feel, you don't need a date, you guys are already so close. Here's what you should do. Find a place that you think he would like, maybe the beach or something. It's too cold to swim, but the walk is nice, and you might see dolphins. Anyway, take him on that walk, and while you're there, tell him you like him." 

"It's just that simple?" Clay nodded. "Yep, incredibly simple. He either likes you, or he doesn't."

"When will I even see him next? He's sick. I don't know how long it'll take him to get better." 

"It seemed like a fever, they don't usually last long, it'll probably be a few days. That's enough time to get yourself prepared for your day with him, I'm sure it'll go great."

Nick hugged him. "Thanks man, you're the best." 

"Yeah, well also, if Karl rejects you, it's his own fault. Because you don't even take care of me that much when I'm sick. You really like him, don't you?" 

"I really, really do. I just hope he feels the same way. Also don't tell _anyone_ about this. It's our secret. I don't want anyone to hear about it, okay?"

Clay smiled and nodded. "I promise, it stays with me."

Once Clay left, Nick sat with his thoughts for a while. He really thought about what he was going to say to Karl. This guy felt like his soulmate. They connected, they bonded, it all happened so fast. Karl was there for him, he helped him after he was beat up, he went out to dinner sick just to make Nick happy, he was amazing. Nick loved him. He loved him so much. 

He was excited to finally tell him everything he felt. He just hoped that Karl felt the same.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a few days, and now Karl was feeling much better.

He was excited to get back to school and see Nick. Karl wanted to properly thank him for all that he did when he was sick. He got dressed and walked to school as quick as he could. Nick was outside, it seemed like he was looking for someone. 

Karl took a few more steps towards Nick, then some random cheerleader came over to Nick. Karl was too far away to hear what they were saying, but what happened next almost killed him. 

They kissed. Nick kissed the girl. Karl stumbled a few steps back. He felt like his heart just shattered. _Does he have a girlfriend?? Oh god of course he does! He was just kidding about not liking girls, he was tailing me along just to make it hurt even more! Of course the quarterback of the school's football team would have a girlfriend. I can't believe I was so stupid!_

Karl felt himself tear up. He didn't want to start crying right now but he couldn't help himself. He just saw the love of his life kissing some random girl. Nick and the girl shot a smile at each other, then out of the corner of his eye he saw Karl standing there, shell-shocked. 

"Oh shit- Karl wait it's not-" Nick couldn't even finish his sentence before Karl turned around and ran inside the school. Nick followed after him but eventually lost him after a few turns in the hallways. 

Karl ran into one of the bathrooms and finally, now that he was alone, he let himself break. 

Alex was walking past the bathrooms and he heard what sounded like crying coming from inside. He went inside and walked over to the stall he heard the crying coming from. "Um.. hello? Is everything okay in there?"

"I-I'm fine.."

"Karl?? What's wrong? Why are you crying? Let me in." Alex waited, and he heard a _click_ a few seconds later. Karl came out of the stall, his eyes were red and puffy from crying, and he had tears running down his cheeks. 

Alex pulled him into a hug. "Karl what happened? Why are you crying?" 

"It's Nick.. he... he has a girlfriend.. I went to go say hi to him this morning but before I got to him, some girl came up and they kissed.. I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up like that... H-he was lying to me..."

"Oh Karl I'm so sorry man... It's okay though, if he didn't like you, it's his own fault, because you are the fucking best." 

Karl buried his face in Alex's hoodie. "I-It still hurts..." Alex patted Karl on the back. "I know... I know it does..." After a few minutes of being comforted by his friend, Karl calmed down and went to class with Alex.

* * *

Once all of his classes were over, Karl pulled his backpack over his shoulder and walked outside. "Karl! Finally!" Nick ran over to Karl and grabbed his hand. Karl stayed turned around and stared down at the ground, refusing to look at Nick. 

"Karl listen, I can explain. Please, just give me a chance to-" 

"To what? Tell me that you've been hiding the fact that you have a girlfriend? To- to tell me that you've just been leading me along, just so you could crush me even more when I finally found out?? We almost kissed, Nick! I would have made you a cheater, not even knowing it! So no, I don't want to give you a chance, I want to go home, let go." 

Karl yanked his hand away, and kept walking. Nick followed. "Karl that wasn't my girlfriend!" 

"Oh okay so then why were you kissing back?? It wasn't just some girl that kissed you, you kissed her back, you don't need to keep the lie going Nick." 

"Karl, that girl needed my help. She came over to me and said that some creep was following her to school, and she wanted me to pretend to be her boyfriend, just so that guy would take a hint and back off. I don't even know her name."

Karl stopped walking and turned around. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"I'll show you, but it has to wait until tomorrow. If you want proof, meet me down on the beach right before sunrise. Please, just trust me."

Nick hugged Karl, then walked away.

* * *

Karl was still skeptical of the idea, but he couldn't help feeling curious. So here he was, standing out in the cold, wrapped up in a big sweater, walking down onto the beach. It was still pretty dark, but there were slivers of light from the sun preparing to rise. Down by the water he saw Nick.

The waves splashed playfully at his ankles. Karl made his way over, and looked at him. 

His eyes roamed over his Nick's face, the way his dark hair fell just slightly into his eyes, which also brought him to Nick's gorgeous eyes that were currently fixed on the swaying waves and the small bit of sun that was coming up over the horizon.

He didn't like it, but he accepted the fact that he still wanted far more than just friendship with Nick. He had also in the last day, come to terms with the fact that these feelings were most definitely one-sided, even if Nick said that he didn't like that girl, he still just had a feeling that Nick didn't like him either.

There were moments where Karl hoped that maybe, just maybe, Nick felt the same way. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice that the other man was now returning his gaze, and trying to get his attention.

"Karl.”

“Hm? Sorry I just.. I'm still tired.” He quickly said as he averted his eyes in an attempt to conceal the fact that he had been staring at his friend for far longer than he should have been.

“It's fine, sorry I made you come out so early, but I wanted to be able to talk to you properly, and alone.” Nick said as he stepped closer to Karl. Karl’s breath caught in his throat. Their faces were so close now. Until Nick stepped back and looked down at the ground.

"Okay well, you said you would give me proof, so where is it?"

Nick held one of Karl's hands. "Karl I... _god this is hard_ , um.. ever since my party when we first met, I knew there was something different about you. Maybe it's your fashion, or your cotton candy hair, or your humor, I don't know. I just knew that I liked it. I didn't know how to say it at the time since we had just met, but from the moment I met you, I knew I wanted to know you better."

Karl gulped and felt his face get warmer. "A-and?"

"And after all the time we've spent together, and how close we've gotten, I need you to know that... I really should have kissed you when I had the chance. When we were in the bathroom I was so close to doing it, but I got scared, and your friend coming in gave me the chance to back out. I thought that you didn't like me, so I didn't say anything about it. But then when you got sick and you still came out to dinner just for me, it gave me hope that maybe... somehow.. you felt the same way. I went home that night thinking about how bad I just wanted to stay there with you. You're perfect Karl, and... I love you." 

Silence filled the entire beach, not a word was said for a few seconds. "Karl please say something."

Karl wanted to give him a response, but when he would go to open his mouth, no words came out. So he did he only thing he could think to do. The thing he had been waiting to do since the moment he met him.

He pulled Nick over and kissed him. It was better than any sunrise they could have seen. Karl couldn't believe it, he was actually kissing him, and it felt so right. After they broke the kiss, Karl smiled.

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End! 
> 
> I hope you liked it! I think it came out pretty well. If you have any other ideas for karlnap stories, let me know in the comments, I love writing stories about them, so if you have a prompt, I would be happy to give it a shot.
> 
> :]

**Author's Note:**

> This will have multiple chapters, I'm excited to keep writing, and I hope you enjoy how the story progresses. 
> 
> :]


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